Absentee voting is now open, and will continue through Monday, Nov. 5, the day before the general election.

Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie estimates nearly 30,000 Minnesotans will vote by absentee ballot this election and offers a new online ballot tracking tool.

Eligible voters may cast absentee ballots for one of the following reasons  absence from the precinct, observance of religious discipline or holiday, illness or disability, serving as an election judge in another precinct, or when an emergency is declared by the governor or a quarantine is declared by the federal or state government.

In Meeker County, voters may vote absentee at the Meeker County Auditor’s Office, fourth level of the Meeker County Courthouse, 325 Sibley Avenue North, Litchfield, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

In Wright County, voters may vote absentee at the Wright County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 10 Second Street NW, Room 230, in Buffalo.

In-person absentee voting will also take place Saturday, Nov. 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5 at both Meeker and Wright county courthouses.

Absentee applications can be obtained in various locations including on the auditors’ websites or at www.mnvotes.org.